[Avodah] Noah and Avraham

[Micha Berger]

On Fri, November 10, 2006 12:08 pm, Prof. Levine wrote:
: The Rambam writes at the beginning of his discussion of Avodah Zarah  1:2
...
: The Abarbanel  says that Avraham knew Noah. (Their lives overlapped
: for 58 years.) Someone told me that the Doros Rishonim says that
: Avraham fled from Ur and spent many years in the house of Noah. The
: Me'Am Lo'az says that Noah and Shem convinced Terach that Avraham was
: right about Avodah Zarah being meaningless.  He also says that
: according to some Avraham "went to an academy that Noah and Shem had
: established, and spent 39 years there, learning the divine mysteries."

: My question is, "How does all of this fit together?" Is the Rambam
: referring to Avraham's youth when he says that he had no teacher?

1- This seems pretty solid. Avraham found Hashem on his own, and then went to
Noach to develop the thought's full details. We don't need all of the 39 years
need not be all within the 58 years that Avraham's life overlapped Noach's.
After all, it speaks of their "yeshiva", not Noach as an individual.

2- Why need it fit together? It wouldn't be the first time the Abarbanel was
choleiq on the Rambam. Nor would I be surprised that the Rambam wouldn't
credit a mesorah about time spent learning "divine mysteries".

Tir'u baTov!
-mi

-- 
Micha Berger             Spirituality is like a bird: if you tighten
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